Abstract

The paper first describes the core characteristics of a monitoring system for Smart Specialisation, highlighting its underpinning conceptual and empirical elements and stressing the role of monitoring as a shared-learning process in which stakeholders should be actively engaged. The paper then presents a set of empirical results deriving from the experience of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, highlighting the difficulties and challenges encountered by policy makers and practitioners in the development and management of monitoring activities. Finally, it provides a series of lessons learnt and general recommendations for those contributing to this area of work from an academic or practical perspective, highlighting the benefits of a closer collaboration between the two.